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Surgeries cost more at in-network hospitals than at independent facilities

Surgical procedures at in-network hospitals carry a far higher cost than at independent hospitals, a trend that held true for 15 of 16 surgical procedures analyzed in a new study published in JAMA Network Open.

The surgeries found to have higher associated costs included shoulder arthroscopy with cartilage removal, diagnostic colonoscopy and prostatectomy. For example, the median price for shoulder arthroscopy was 1.68 times higher at facilities within networks compared with independent hospitals ($4,432 vs. $2,643), Healthcare Finance reports. 

There was also a high amount of variation in negotiated prices for the procedures, with the median prostatectomy price reaching $9,567 at hospitals in networks, compared to $8,601 at independent facilities.

The metrics were gleaned from 3,195 hospitals’ negotiated prices through the Turquoise Health Database, which aggregates price data published by hospitals as per the price transparency rule. Read more.